Suction-augmenting device for vacuum feeding systems



1.0. COULOMBE. A suc|oN AUGMENTING DEVICE Fon. VACUUM FEEDING sYsTEMswAPPLICATION FILED DEC. 22. 1919. Patented Apr. 12. 1921.

haven 652mg y v'UNITED 'STATES' PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH c. coULoMEE, or DEAcUT, MASSACHUSETTS.-

SUCTToN-AUGMENTING DEvIcE EOE. vVACUUM EEEDING SYSTEMS.

To all whom it may concern.' Be it known that I, JOSEPH C. CoULoMBE, acitizen of the United States, and resident of Dracut, in 'the county ofMiddlesex and State lof Massachusetts, have` invented new. and usefulImprovements in Suctlon-'Au'ginenting Devices for Vacuum FeedingSystems, of vwhich the following is a specifica,- tion. v This inventionrelates to liquid fuel feeding systems forl internal combustion engines,and particularly 4to liquid fuel feed ing systems of the kind having avacuum Ychamber in which suction is induced by the operation of theengine to lift the liquid fuel from a storage tank or. supply tank belowthe level of the carbureter to a -point j above'the level of thecarbureter into which lit is delivered by gravity.

The -principal object of the invention 'is tofprovide novel, simple andefficient means for augmenting the suction in the Vacuum Vchamber andsoinsuring an adequate supply of fuel under conditions in which thenormal unaided suction or vacuum created 1n the intake passages to theengine would be unsuiiicient.

-In the accompanying drawings,-

Figure l is a diagrammatic view illustrating thelapplication of theinvention to an internal combustion engine on an autof mobile; 1

' preferred form of the suction augmenting' Fig. 2 is anienlargedsectional view of a device; and

y 'Fig.- 3 is a section and' plan view of the same on line 3-3 of Fig.2.

. a indicates an internal combustion `engine and b the intake, manifoldconnected to the carbureter c. Zindicates the vacuum feed device whosesuction chamber is connected lby a pipe e to the manifold b. Anotherpipe f connects the suction chamber of the vacuum feed device withliquid fuel supply y tank g, which is usually carried on the rear of thecar below the level of the carbureter.

The distributing chamber in the bottom of the vacuum feed device d isconnected to the carburetor by pipe h.

Suction induced in the manifoldl of the engine reduces the pressure inthe suction chamber of vacuum feed device d, causing gasolene or otherliquil fuel to be drawn from tank g into the suction chamber of vacuumfeed device d. From this chamber it is periodically dumped-into thedistributthe constricted tube orltubes.

` 'Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Apr. 12, 1921 l Applicationiledl'lecember 22V, 1919. Serial No. 346,719. l

.ing chamber,l and from the distributing chamber it flows by gravity tothe car-l bureter 0, A

The vacuum feed'devicel d may be of. any

well known or preferred type; and as neither known intheory andpractice. l

Under conditions usually prevailing sufficient suction, that is asufiicient degree of sub-atmospheric pressure, will be induced in,

the manifold to lift the liquid' fuel from supply tank grapidly enoughand in sufcient quantities to' vkeep the carbureter supplied.Undercertain conditions, vhowever, the suction or. sub-atmosphericpresysure in the manifold is inadequate tomaintaina proper rfuel supply, andsuch conditions are usually the very ones demanding `an increased fuelsupply. For example, if

theautomobiie is'climbing a long lhill in high Speed, with the throttlewide open and the engine running comparatively Slowly,

the engine requires a lar e amount'v of fuel,

the suction in the mani old is greatly reduced, andthe distance the fuelhas to be lifted from the supply tank at'the 'rear of the car isincreased, all of which factors combinefagainst an adequate supply offuel.

The principal object of the present invention is so to augment thesuction in the vacuum feed tank as' to maintain anadequate supply offuel notwithstanding the suction in the manifold is reduced and thedemand for -fuel increased.

To this end I place an air line somewhere between the air intakel to thecarbureter and the inlet valves of the engine, and,

preferably in the line leading-.from the carbureter to the intakemanifold, a constricted tube of the type of which the Venturi tube is anexample, and connect to the constrictedf part of the tube the lineleading to the suction chamber of the vacuum feed tank.

AS illustrated inthe drawings. the -line between the carbureter c andthe manifold' b is formed in two Sections 4 and 5 each terminating in aflange 6. Between the.l

flanges 6 isjsecured a fitting which carries This fitting consists of asupporting annulus 7, clamped' between the'flanges 6, and made with 'atubular inlet pipe or Anozzle 8, the end of which is screw threaded forconnection to the suction'pipe e. y The inlet nozzle car-A ries a hubmember 9 concentric with4 the annulus, provided with a funnel-like pas-lsage l0 and a socket 11, `into which is screwed another funnel-likemember 12,'the parts l0 and l2 together constituting a constricted tube.The suction passage through pipes e and 8 is connected to theconstricted part of said Venturi-like tube by a small port 13 drilledthrough the, body of hub 9 at an incline in. the direction of-the flowof .t .gases through pipes aand 5. j is the -usual 15' the clear'gspaceaiound hub 9 and part passiiig'through the tube. The part passingthrough the tube greatly augmentsthesuction induced in pipe c, whichcommunicates with the constricted )art of the` tube through passagey 13,and consequently augments the suction induced in the vacuum tank d, Thusnotwithstanding the sub-atl mospheric pressure in the manifold Z) mightbe insufficient by reason of the conditions of operation, if connecteddirectly to the vacuum device (l, to maintain a fuel supply, the suctionvinduced in l through the con'- stricted tube will be materiallyincreased.

In order still further to augment the suction in (Z, another constiictedtubel le, mounted on the annulus 7 by spaced legs l5, is arrangedWitlnits'constricted part acting on the delivery end of the first tube10, l2. In many cases a single tube Will be found suiiicient, but ifnot, the action of the single tube may be supplemented and increased by,the secoiid'tube acting on the iirst tube and forming in eiiect adouble orl compound Venturi tube.

The tube or tubes and the spaces around them are so proportioned as notto'reduce the cross sectional area of` the passage through pipes i, 5below the smallest area 'of v the other parts of apparatus through whichthe gases fioiv; thus no obstruction is placed in the effective passage,only part of the air passes through the tube or tubes `While the restpasses outside of` the tubes, and the volumetric eiiiciency of theintake line 'is not reduced. l

I claim: j

l.. The combination with aninternal combustion engine, its gas intakeline and c arbureter, and a liquid fuel feeding system of the kindhaving a vacuum chamber in which suction is induced by the operation ofthe engine, of means for augmenting the suction in said vacuum chambercomprising a con- 'Astricted tube inthe'intake line to the engine,iillingA only part of the transverse space in the intake line to permitthe pasf sage of gas outside ofthe tube, and a duct connecting thevacuum chamber to the tube.

in the region of its constricted part.

2. The combination With an internal com-- bustion engine, its gas intakeline and carbureter, and a liquid fuel feeding systemof the'kindhaving avacuum chamber in Which suction isi'inducedby the operation of .the

engine, of means for .augmenting the suc- .tionin said vacuum chambercomprising a 'suction is induced by the operation of the engine, o fmeans for augmenting the suction in said vacuum chamber comprising apair o f constricted tubes in, the intake line toy the engine, thedelivery end of one tube 'terinternal 'com-` minatiiig Within and intheregion of the' constricted part yof the other tube, and a I ductconnecting thevacuum chamber to the former tube inthe region of itsconstricted part. i

4. A suction augmenting device for vacuum feeding systems comprising asupport adapted to be secured in the intake line of an internalcombustion engine, a constricted tube Within said support, and an'inletport extending from the exterior of said support to the interior of saidtube in the region of its constricted part.l

. 5. A suction augmenting device .for vacuum feeding systems comprisinga support adapted to be secured in the intake line of an internalcombustion engine, a constricted tube within said support, vand an inletport extending from ther exterior of said supportJ to the interior ofsaid tube in the region of its constricted part, and a secondconstricted tube surrounding the lirst tube and arranged with itsconstricted part in the region of the delivery end of the first tube.v

Signed by me atjBoston, Massachusetts, this seventeenth day of December1919.

JOSEPH C. C'OULOM'BE.

